A very special chat...

Hi everyone!

If the last week has been an amazing one, I don’t know what to say about this one - probably 'likkar' (the Afrikaans way to say amazing). Just learnt that this past week!

More progress has been made towards the roll-out of the Munsieville Model of Excellence, through several meetings aimed at gathering the insights and support at various levels: from the community leaders, to the district and provincial levels, to ensure the support and belief is being driven at all levels: 'Everyone Committed, Everyone Contributing.' The momentum is clearly out there!

The highlight of the week... Paul, Betty and I had the chance earlier this week to meet up with a fantastic lady, member of a very famous and influential family, in the name of Sister Mathabo Tutu, the sister of the famous Archbishop and Peace Nobel prize winner, Desmond Tutu.
We went to visit her at her house, in Munsieville – as she is still living in the family house. What an amazing woman, full of energy and so welcoming!!! We stayed there, chatted in her living room for almost an hour – time passed so quickly!

We had a great discussion around the work that we at Project HOPE UK will initiate in her community, which she was really interested in. We also discussed her brother, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and his attachment to the Munsieville community, where he once lived, taught at the local school and also, where he got married. She recommended that we reach out to him regarding the work that we will be doing in the community as he would be very interested to hear about it. So, more to come…

The 'hype' regarding the Munsieville Model is rapidly gaining more and more members of the community, and potential partners - let's keep moving forward!

Have an 'Ayoba' week everyone. Speak soon.

Martin Lafontaine
GSK PULSE Volunteer

Project HOPE UK

Give a man a fish and they will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime...

Hi everyone, what an amazing week the last one has been in the progress towards the launch of the Project HOPE UK Munsieville Orphans and other Vulnerable Children's Model of Excellence.
Several key stakeholders meetings were held during the week, where Paul (Project HOPE UK Director) and I gathered great feedback and a huge amount of buy-in to make things move forward.

We had the chance to meet with numerous people within the healthcare and political systems over the last week, from the provincial to the district level, municipality, passing by the ward councillors of the various areas of the Munsieville township, the local community based organisations association representative, the government social services dept…

Throughout these meetings, we have been able to observe what we have defined as the 'Munsieville Model Stakeholder Gene', i.e. a series of values and attitudes sought in people involved which will 'make it happen', in alignment with the Model objective, vision and... 'DNA': commitment, engaged, focused on results, agent of change, visionary, believer, accountable, team player...

The response to the Model has been amazing at every level, with the various key stakeholders all taking actions towards immediate next steps: engagement and early momentum has been created!

Paul and I also had the opportunity to meet who might become the Munsieville Model of Excellence first NGO Partner, in the name of Ms. Coleen Walter, from the Safe and Sound Organisation, an organisation focusing on early childhood development, which has recently played a major role in influencing South African national policies in this regard! Clearly Coleen and her team have the 'right gene'!

The last week has also allowed me personally to further integrate the whole essence of the Munsieville Model and its aim. I am sure that you all know the famous Chinese proverb: 'give a man a fish and they will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!' In summary, what the Munsieville Model aims to do is to push further the boundaries of this old proverb… by re-shaping the whole fishing industry through a community movement/local empowerment to make things happen, within the resources of this community to create sustainable change. The main actors being the children and the community members so that the momentum for change comes from within: Project HOPE UK being a catalyst for change. And from what we have heard and seen this week…the Munsieville community and its leaders are ready for this! They have the 'gene'!

Talk to you soon!

Martin

Martin Lafontaine

GSK Pulse Volunteer

Project HOPE UK